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With mutantkind bouncing back from the brink of extinction, one man has shown the willingness to do whatever it takes to ensure their survival.

That man? Scott Summers, aka Cyclops, the former figurehead of the mutant race whose recent actions have taken him from messiah to pariah. Now the self-appointed leader of a revolution, Cyclops has gathered a team of X-Men with one purpose: recruit the next generation first.

UNCANNY X-MEN, written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Chris Bachalo, marks the return of the long-running, flagship X-Men series, just in time to chart the course of mutantkind’s future.

While the cast of UNCANNY X-MEN may be filled with unlikely allies, perhaps none stick out more than Magneto. The Master of Magnetism has shown his allegiance to Cyclops and his interpretation of the greater mutant cause in recent years and now works to help Scott Summers build a future and run a school in the name of his late friend and enemy, Charles Xavier.

Brian Michael Bendis reveals what’s in store for Magneto.

Marvel.com: What role does Magneto play in UNCANNY X-MEN? What does Cyclops want him to do there?

Brian Michael Bendis: You said before that having Magneto there is a scary thing. He’s infamous. I think that having Magneto there lets everybody know that Cyclops isn’t messing around. Cyclops is talking a good game, but when you’re standing there next to Hitler, it has people pay very close attention to what you’re saying. He says he doesn’t want people to be scared of him, but then why are you standing next to this guy? I think that Cyclops likes having this tough father figure around. I think it’s just the way he’s wired. It’s so complicated to me because I also think on a weird level that Magneto keeps Cyclops honest, and vice versa. As I said before, I think there’s a level where he’s trying to say to himself, “I’ve been fighting with this guy for years and it never led to anything. When we’re teamed up, we compromise with each other and it’s a lot easier to work with him than without him.”

Brian Michael Bendis: I think what happened during Avengers Vs. X-Men was the most devastating thing that happened to him since House of M. I think he’s still reeling from House of M and then this happened. I think without Charles Xavier in the world, it’s like he’s lost an arm. I don’t think he’s dealt with it yet; I don’t think he’s come to terms with it yet. This is a man who literally identified himself by his powers and he now has no control of them. This is pretty devastating for him. I’d even go so far as to say I think he’s in some form of shock. I don’t think he knows what he’s doing or why he’s there. He’s a broken man, he’s a wounded man, and he’s a man who’s looking back on his life full of things that he’s done wrong. In his heart, he’s looking at these new mutants as his second chance. There’s a lot going on with him that we’ll be unveiling in the next few issues.

Marvel.com: You mentioned Charles Xavier, and this might have something to do with the film “X-Men: First Class,” but fans have really latched on to that Professor Xavier and Magneto friendship of late.

Brian Michael Bendis: It’s funny because when I was first doing HOUSE OF M, Chris Claremont called me to talk about this. He saw Professor X and Magneto as the Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid of the Marvel Universe. It surprised me until I went back and read a lot of what he had been doing the past few years, and I realized that’s what he had been doing. That’s where that came from, even before the movies. Where you saw that in the first X-Men movies was when after all the craziness, Xavier and Magneto start playing chess together.

Who else are they going to be friends with? Who else understands the world the way they do? It’s all mixed up in there, the relationship with Charles and Magneto’s opinion on what Cyclops did to Charles. What Cyclops did to Xavier and what Magneto had done to Xavier are very similar. There have been times when Magneto, in a rage, had tried to kill Xavier. He can’t be fully angry with Cyclops, when he himself has tried to do the same thing.

Pre-order UNCANNY X-MEN #1 now and be back here tomorrow as Brian Bendis talks Magik!

Comments

Cyclops inherits his mothers will about things in life. The trust that exists between his parents and himself and the trust that prevents him from controlling his powers can send him into the hands of an enemy. Magneto is there to protect Scott.